The Patron Saint of Pregnant Girls

Praise for The Patron Saint of Pregnant Girls

“How can a novel that begins with a drowning and probes the depths of loss, grief and longing be such a joy to read? Part of the answer can be found in Hegi’s rhapsodic conjuring of the natural wonders of Nordstrand, in her depiction of the warmth of its people and the emotions that move them, sometimes against their best interests. There’s also her ease in deploying a large and varied cast of characters…Nordstrand is full of surprises.”
–New York Times Book Review

“Deeply compassionate…A surprisingly sunlit tale of grief and rebirth, drawing on history and folklore to create an indelible portrait of a family and community forged in crisis…Hegi performs a kind of alchemical cartography, transporting readers to a place so vividly rendered they may undergo culture shock upon reentering our own damaged world.”
–The Washington Post

“Magical…A lyrical meditation on motherhood and mourning…Hegi is gentle with her characters, offering them consolation in their shared humanity…Ultimately transforming.”
–The Boston Globe

“The novel’s canvas resembles a feminist take on those hectic old Flemish masterworks…As Hegi perhaps prefers, we can choose to submit to untidiness – to magical descriptions of a liminal landscape, to the rhythms of characters living and dying, thinking and acting in ways far removed from our own and yet intimately, perfectly familiar.”
–Los Angeles Times

“Haunting…Uplifting, a celebration of women, mothers and daughters.”
–Minneapolis Star-Tribune

“A searing tale of loss, strength and the power of perseverance.”
–GoodMorningAmerica.com

“Hegi presents fortunate readers with a new tour de force…Her women, whether conniving, tender, or briskly competent, will draw you into their welcoming arms. Thoroughly recommended.”
–Historical Novel Society

“Mesmerizing…Hegi’s command of the plot and ability to render poignant characters create a satisfyingly emotional story. Hegi’s fans and devotees of literary fiction will treasure this.”
–Publishers Weekly

“Compassionately observant…The offbeat characters enhance the quasi-dreamlike effect, but the scenarios they face are starkly real…Their emotional hardships are satisfyingly leavened by softer moments of romantic and familial love.”
–Booklist

”[Hegi is] a writer at the height of her powers. I can’t think of a better way to ‘endorse’ a novel than to say I will be gifting it to my book-loving friends and family–a gift, mind you, not a loan, as I want this title in my keeper bookshelf. As in a circus after a particularly riveting performance, The Patron Saint of Pregnant Girls deserves a thunderous round of applause.”
–Julia Alvarez, author of In the Time of the Butterflies and Afterlife

“The Patron Saint of Pregnant Girls is a novel full of marvels–children with missing fathers, girls too young to be mothers, nuns who cherish their charges, circus acrobats, the beautiful northern light–but the greatest marvel is Ursula Hegi’s shimmering, radiant, vivid prose. Her characters, and their lives full of love and longing, leap off the page and into the reader’s heart.”
–Margot Livesey, author of Mercury and The Flight of Gemma Hardy

Praise for Ursula Hegi

“An outstanding talent.” –The New York Times Book Review

“A writer of grace and immediacy.” –Meg Wolitzer

“Epic, daring, magnificent.” –Los Angeles Times

“Unforgettable.” –The Washington Post

“Stunning.” – Los Angeles Times

“Deeply moving.” –J.M. Coetzee

“Brilliant…Mesmerizing.” –Chicago Tribune

“Marvelous.” –Alice McDermott

“Devastatingly honest.” –San Francisco Chronicle

“Masterful.” –The Washington Post

Ursula Hegi is the author of The Worst Thing I’ve Done, Sacred Time, Hotel of the Saints, The Vision of Emma Blau, Tearing the Silence, Salt Dancers, Stones from the River, Floating in My Mother’s Palm, Unearned Pleasures and Other Stories, Intrusions, and Trudi & Pia. She teaches writing at Stonybrook’s Southhampton Campus and she is the recipient of more than thirty grants and awards.

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